ISTANBUL

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib urged Israel to stop killing the people in Gaza, before the Foreign Affairs Council held on Tuesday.

"My message to the Israeli authorities is very clear, put this agreement into action now. Stop killing the people," Lahbib said, stressing that Israel is "far from" applying their agreement on allowing the resumption of humanitarian aid.

There are some "positive" developments and openings for aid to enter Gaza, she reaffirmed, while warning that the situation still remains "so dangerous" and that their humanitarian partners cannot operate as the strikes continue.

"It's important to maintain some leverage and to maintain the pressure. What we need is a ceasefire, an agreement, stop the violence, release of all the hostages and alleviate the suffering of the people which is starving," Lahbib noted.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, killing nearly 58,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.